The Election Commission (EC) wants to complete distribution of smart national identity (NID) cards across the country by December this year.
"We think we'll be able to complete the distribution of smart cards well before December next," said Director General of the EC's National Identity Registration Wing Brig Gen Mohammad Saidul Islam.
"Now we're distributing the cards in 37 districts and we will start the distribution in the remaining 27 districts on February 1," he added, says UNB.
The Commission on October 1, 2016 started the distribution of smart NID cards to replace the existing laminated ones, but it could complete hardly three percent cards' distribution within the extended deadline of July 2017.
To expedite the distribution process, the EC is now procuring 2,000 Image Recognition Intelligence Software (IRIS) scanners and 2,000 fingerprint machines. The shipment of the scanners and machines was made on December 29 last, which will reach to the country soon, he said.
The Commission now has some 500 IRIS scanners and some 500 fingerprint machines.
The machine readable cards are now being distributed in 37 districts and the distribution process will start in the remaining 27 districts in February.
Earlier in November 2017, EC acting secretary Helaluddin Ahmed said the Commission planned to complete the distribution of the machine readable cards among all voters before the next national election.